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sábado, 2 de julio de 2016

The Latest on Catholic Education

Although the U.S. bishops rightfully called it “shocking,” the Obama administration’s refusal last week to enforce federal law against California’s abortion mandate was calculated and predictable. California accomplished what the Obama administration could not with the HHS mandate: full coverage of abortions in employee health plans, even at Catholic churches and institutions.

We are now in the Fortnight for Freedom — a two-week period the U.S. bishops have set aside for Catholics to appreciate our God-given right to religious freedom, the “first freedom” affirmed by the Bill of Rights. Our First Amendment freedoms are endangered in a myriad of ways today, and the threats to Catholic schools are greater than many realize. While the immediate risk to their freedoms may seem to be primarily from radical sexual activists, this public spectacle is simply an indicator of a deeper threat within.

Jesus taught, “[L]ife is more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Lk 12:23). Likewise, education is more than jobs; catechesis is more than shared experience. What happened to the Socratic axiom, “The unexamined life is not worth living”? On a higher plane, God created the human mind for the pursuit and attainment of truth.

In interviews published recently with Catholic News Agency and the National Catholic Register, Quincy Masteller, general counsel of the Newman Guide-recommended Thomas Aquinas College (TAC) in Santa Paula, Calif., outlined how a bill being considered in California threatens the ability of faith-based colleges in the state to operate according to their religious missions.